Does a specific verb exist for the process of passing on information or skills including the passing of responsibilities between an experienced worker and a new one? The verb train is too general, as it applies to any time frame during a job, not necessary during the beginning of one's employment. Moreover it does not include passing of responsibilities.

There exists a slang term for this verb in Hebrew (loosely transliterated as "overlap"), and I'm looking for its English equivalent.

v. men·tored, men·tor·ing, men·tors Informal
v.intr.
To serve as a trusted counselor or teacher, especially in occupational settings.
v.tr.
To serve as a trusted counselor or teacher to (another person).

That's just a brief process, a crash course… an apprentice is more like a protege.
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PotatoswatterDec 9 '12 at 16:23

@Potatoswatter: I agree – it's not a perfect match, but it was the best I could think of to get the ball rolling. I think it's one of those answers that, though perhaps not a 100% match, still deserves a mention in the conversation.
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J.R.Dec 9 '12 at 18:03

to formally or ceremoniously install in an office, position, etcetera.
to introduce into (particularly if certain knowledge or experience is required, such as ritual adulthood or cults).
to draft into military service.
to bring in as a member.

The induction you will receive in your local department/institution will enable you to:

Meet your key colleagues.

Find your way around your workplace.

Understand your terms and conditions of employment.

Understand your role, key responsibilities and how you fit into your department/institution.

An induction meets one of your requirements as it is almost always done at the start of someone's employment, however it does not imply any hand-over of responsibilities, only that of giving an understanding to a new employee.

'induction' is to formally make part of an organization, and may not involve any actual training or instruction. Some may be 'inducted' into a Hall of Fame, for example. It certainly doesn't involve training them, and may not even involve showing them the washrooms.
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DJClayworthDec 9 '12 at 17:56

@DJClayworth I disagree, as the basic elements of behavior/pattern that are presented during induction are often more the 'secrets' and 'oral tradition' than techniques conveyed for doing a work / job. Being inducted is synonymous with oral traditions and the traditions and guilds for which one typically is an apprentice.
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New AlexandriaDec 9 '12 at 18:17

Have to disagree with you there. Induction is "formal installation in an office, benefice, or the like". Some companies use it to mean initial basic training, but it doesn't have to be that and it would be the wrong word to use if you specifically wanted to mean training. I think the questioner is asking about more in-depth training than this anyway.
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DJClayworthDec 9 '12 at 18:47

To study or know (a role) so as to be able to replace the regular performer when required.

To act as an understudy to.

v.intr.

To be engaged in studying a role so as to be able to replace the regular performer when required.

Originally a theater term, an understudy (in the noun form) is the backup to the regular performer who is a more experienced/better performer. The understudy studies under the regular performer - a sort of apprentice for that role. The regular performer, at one time, was most likely an understudy to someone else so understudy may also be thought of as a rite of passage, of sorts.

Outside of theater, understudy, in my experience, retains the connotation of taking over when the teacher is not able to perform his/her duties (and therefore may not be the best word in all contexts).

Break in (“To cause (something, or someone, new) to function more naturally through use or wear” or “To tame; make obedient; to train to follow orders of the owner”) sometimes is used; ie, to “break in a new hand” means to show a new employee the ropes and how things are done.

The previously-mentioned verb initiate (“To instruct in the rudiments or principles; to introduce”) is another possibility, as is shakedown, a noun referring to a trial or test period.

the testing or trial of a person's conduct, character, qualifications, or the like.

Some jobs have "probationary periods" wherein employees receive their training. This could be used as a noun describing the training process: "the trainee's probation." During probation, a trainer "initiates" a new worker. From dictionary.com:

initiate (verb): introduce into the knowledge of some art or subject.

A person could be initiated into the specifics of sausage casing or masonic chants. In either case, a trainer takes an active role in passing along information.

I don't think there is a specific word for this. Why would you need one? "Train" is fine. You just need to say "He trained his apprentice in...", and the entire meaning is conveyed. Training is just one of the things that an apprentice is entitled to, and apprenticeship is as much about the duties as the entitlements of the apprentice.

I suspect that the reason there isn't a special word for it is that it wouldn't add anything. So much is implied by the notion of apprenticeship that once this context is known, ordinary words like 'train' can be interpreted correctly.

Perhaps it's a cultural difference. In organizations where people leave frequently and moreover are not very organized, knowledge and responsibility are frequently lost - hence the importance of passing on both in an orderly fashion.
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nbubisDec 10 '12 at 5:49

I don't see any cultural difference. Of course passing on knowledge is important, which is why there are apprenticeship systems. It's just that there's no need for a special word for training when the trainee is an apprentice.
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Dominic CroninDec 10 '12 at 12:04

A single word is not in use in English to describe this, to my knowledge.

What a master does is teach the trade/craft i.e. performs an educational service at the end of which the apprentice is considered to have assimilated the body of knowledge the master himself possesses.